1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to abdominal exercise devices, specifically to such devices which can be used as a cushioned floor pad.
2. Description of Prior Art
Strengthening and toning muscles are a common goal among exercise enthusiasts. Health clubs offer classes dedicated to strengthening and toning exercises. Likewise, many exercise videos are devoted to muscle conditioning. During these classes participants often lie on a cushioned pad to do exercises for various parts of the body. These pads are made from a foam or other comfortably supportive material. The pads are inexpensive and easily portable, but have no other utility beyond their use as a cushion.
Although the classes and videos offer exercises for the entire body, an area that receives much attention is the abdominal muscles. The primary muscle that is exercised in abdominal exercises is the rectus abdominus. One function that this muscle has is to work in concert with the lower back muscles to keep the upper torso erect. Weak abdominal muscles can be one cause of a bad back.
An exercise that effectively trains the rectus abdominus is the abdominal crunch. To perform this exercise a person must lie on their back and draw their heels in towards the buttocks so their knees are bent. The movement consists of curling the trunk into a concave position so the head, neck and shoulders are slightly elevated off the floor. In this position the rectus abdominus is contracted. The person returns to the starting position thus relaxing the muscle. This sequence is repeated for several repetitions.
One physiological limitation of this and other trunk curl exercises concerns neck muscle fatigue. As this exercise is performed, the trunk and head are lifted off the floor or bench. The weight of the head is supported by the neck muscles while the exercise is being performed. If the exerciser holds their hands behind their head, some weight may be relieved from the neck.
After performing many repetitions, neck muscle become fatigued from supporting the weight of the head. Stiff or sore neck muscles can result which may dissuade the exerciser from continuing the regime. Holding the hands behind the head does relieve some stress on the neck, but as the abdominal muscles fatigue some exercisers begin to pull up with their hands to help complete the repetitions. Pulling on the head can put more stress on the neck and may result in a injury to the neck.
Another limitation of trunk curl exercises is the lack of a safe, comfortable and convenient way to add external resistance. Increasing the resistance the abdominal muscles must overcome to elevate the head, neck and upper back, increases the intensity on the abdominal muscles. The increased effort is beneficial in that it results in a greater strengthening and toning effect on the abdominal muscles.
Several types of abdominal exercise boards have been developed where the user lies supine on the board with the feet or knees secured and the hands interlocked behind the head. While the user lies on the flat or slanted board, it provides support and cushioning. Once the user begins to do an abdominal crunch, the head can be only partially supported by the hands. The only way to add external resistance is to place a weight either behind the head or on the chest of the exerciser. These methods are awkward, uncomfortable and upper back. The user grabs the handles that are mounted on the section of the board that their bulk and weight. One device has been developed that is portable and inexpensive, but it suffers from the other disadvantages listed above.
A few types of abdominal exercise devices have been developed to support either the head and neck or the head, neck and upper back during abdominal exercises. U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,372 to Tecco (1992) discloses a device that receives and supports the user's head and neck during trunk curl exercises. This device does not support the upper back so it is possible for the user to pull their head past the plane of the upper back which may cause neck pain. The device cannot be used for a cushion while performing exercises for other parts of the body.
One other device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,130 to Shoebrooks (1992), shows an abdominal exercise apparatus that supports the upper and lower body during abdominal exercises. The handles the exerciser uses to engage the device are mounted on its surface, so the user can accidentally lie on one causing discomfort or possible injury. Intensity is increased by the user grabbing handles either permanently attached in different locations or by detaching and moving one pair of handles to different locations on the device to vary resistance. If the handles are permanently attached to the device, several must be provided to accommodate users of varying ability levels. This increases the cost of the device. If there is only one pair of detachable handles the cost will be lower but the handles can be misplaced when unattached. Separate pads and supports can be attached to the device adding to its cost and assembly time.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,883 to Shoebrooks (1992) discloses a method to use his device, described previously. According to the claimed method, the user engages the device by gripping the handles mounted on a board, which keeps the board against the user thus supporting the head, neck and upper back during an abdominal crunch. This method can be awkward if the user has to conform to predetermined locations of handles on the device. Moveable handles make the method adaptable to various users, but changing the position of the handles between users is complicated, inconvenient and time consuming.
Another device has the exerciser lie supine on a padded board that is hinged under the receives the head and pulls up by contracting the abdominal muscles. The upper portion of the board that is hinged is connected via a cable to a weight stack, as the user pulls the board up the weight is lifted from the stack. This devise does a good job in both supporting the head and neck and safely applying external resistance. However, this device is expensive to manufacture. Also, being heavy and bulky, it is not very portable.
All the known abdominal exercise devices and methods heretofore known suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages:
(a) The manufacturing of some of the prior art machines require expensive production facilities that include welding and painting departments. Also, the weight of the machines require that they be shipped on expensive trucking carriers instead of U.P.S. The price of these machines can run into thousands of dollars, and the weight of such machines does not allow easy portable movement. PA1 (b) During some conditioning exercises it is required that the exerciser be on their hands and knees or lying on their side. The irregular shapes and surfaces of some of the prior art devices prevent them from being used as a cushioned support pad during these exercises. PA1 (c) Some of the prior art devices do not allow for the safe and easy attachment and detachment of common dumbbells and other hand weights to increase resistance during abdominal exercises. PA1 (d) Some of the prior art devices provide no way to support the head, neck and upper back during the execution of trunk curl exercises other then the partial support offered by clasping the users hands behind their head. PA1 (e) One prior art device and method uses complicated and inefficient handle placement to enable the user to engage the device and vary intensity. PA1 (a) to provide an exercise device that will support the head, neck and upper back of the user while the user performs an abdominal crunch; PA1 (b) to provide an exercise device that can be easily gripped by the user without having to attach separate handle means to the device; PA1 (c) to provide an exercise device to which a user can easily attach external resistance to increase the intensity on the abdominal muscles; PA1 (d) to provide an exercise device that when not being used to support the head, neck and upper back during an abdominal crunch, has a flat, cushioned surface for the user to lie or kneel on to perform conditioning exercises for other parts of the body; PA1 (e) to provide an exercise device that is of a simple and inexpensive construction; PA1 (f) to provide an exercise device that is lightweight and easily portable.